Yasuki family
The Yasuki family were the public face of the Crab Clan. Where the other families all dealt daily with the horrors of the Shadowlands, the Yasuki were the Crab's diplomatic and economic engine. Yasuki courtiers were seen in courts representing the Crab much more than any of their other families, and their merchants were by far the most crafty in all of Rokugan. The Yasuki family was originally a family of the Crane Clan, but broke from the Crane in the 4th century and were quickly incorporated into the Crab Clan. Way of the Crab, pp. 24-25 History The Yasuki were founded by the wisewoman Yasuki after she aided Kakita in solving his three quests to gain Lady Doji's heart. For their first three hundred years the Yasuki served the Crane, furthering their economic and political pursuits. They made their mark on Rokugan by starting the tradition of trade through gifts rather than "dishonorable" merchanting. When the War Against Fu Leng started the Yasuki kept the troops supplied with food and weapons, and one of the first daimyo of the Yasuki was given the title of Imperial Trade Advisor. Way of the Crane, p. 46 They grew as a sly and subtle, well-spoken and commercially apt family. Masters of War, p. 18 Break from the Crane In the year 386 a conflict arose between the Crab and the Crane Clan over lands in the Kenkai Hanto Peninsula. The Yasuki were not willing to attack the Crab due to their constant service defending against the Shadowlands. The Crane Clan Champion Doji Mizobu was outraged at their disloyalty and banished them from the Crane lands in the year 387. The Crab were more than happy to open their doors to those who wished to join. It escalated the conflict, which was known as the Yasuki War. It was ended by the Emperor in the year 400 and the Yasuki had been a family of the Crab since. Way of the Crab, p. 24 Imperial Histories, pp. 43-45 Infiltrated by the Kolat The rulers of the Yasuki Family were Kolat in the 12th century, renegade Kolat. They were murdered for their defiance against the Ten Masters. Toturi suspected as much, but he could not reveal that a great family of Rokugan had fallen under the Kolat's control. Instead, Toturi ordered the Otomo to place the Yasuki family in the hands of a Crane, preferably a low-born and dishonored Crane, until he could be certain which Yasuki were Kolat and which were not. Shinsei's Last Hope, Part I, by Rich Wulf The result was that after the death of Yasuki Kamoru in 1158 the Yasuki did not have a Daimyo and becoming attractive to the Crane. Second Yasuki War In 1158 the Crane invaded the Yasuki provinces beginning the Second Yasuki War. Four Winds, p. 41 The Yasuki lands became again part of the Crane when Yasuki Hachi inherited them when he became the Yasuki Daimyo. The true Yasuki lineage was claimed to be on Akodo Kaneka who took Yasuki Yashiki and became his estates, without claiming any Yasuki title as Daimyo. The War ended in 1160 when Hachi became a Crab Clan member through a Twenty Goblin Winter, and the Yasuki Estates were Crane and Crab. Third Yasuki War After the death of Hachi in 1168 The Battle at the Tomb, Part 4, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer the conflict arised again in 1169 after the Scorpion Clan passed a scroll to the Crab with information on the Yasuki family's line of succession. Peace at the Point of a Sword, by Rusty Priske and Shawn Carman A meeting between Doji Domotai and Hida Kuon sparked the Third Yasuki War. Family Troubles, by Rusty Priske and Fred Wan It ended shortly after Iweko I became Empress in 1170 after an agreement between both Clans, and the Yasuki provinces were fully Crab again. Glory of the Empire, Part II, by Rusty Priske and Nancy Sauer Politics Purpose The focus of the family lied primarily in their mercantile interests. Their leaders would argue that trade was the lifeblood of Rokugan. They loved the art of the deal and took great delight in providing products their customers both wanted and needed. While the Yasuki were cunning and wily, they had a reputation for the same rough honesty that marked all the Crab. They would rarely sell shoddy or inferior products; the buyer almost always knew exactly what he was receiving. Smuggling was a favored profession among the Yasuki, especially smuggling to the Lion Clan, as neither the Crane nor Scorpion Clans wanted overt ties with their warmongering neighbor. The Yasuki smuggling operations were an especially painful thorn in the side of the Crane, particularly along the River of Gold. The Yasuki also served as diplomats for the Crab. Diplomats visiting the Crab are housed in the Face of the East Castle, near the Shinomen Mori. Yasuki Yashiki itself held too many secrets to trust outsiders there. Way of the Crab, pp. 44-45 Yasuki Daimyo The following were the known daimyo of the Yasuki family under both the Crane Clan and Crab Clan: Vassals of the Yasuki The following were the vassal families of the Yasuki: * Kano family * Nobuto family * Raikuto family (since 716 to 1132) Within the family Mon The Yasuki family had two separate mons. One was from their time under the Crane Clan and the other dated from their union with the Crab. Crab Mon The mon of the Yasuki depicted a golden carp surrounding a flower of deep azure. The carp was considered an animal of good fortune, and the mon was intended to bring wealth and prosperity to all Yasuki who bore it. Way of the Crab, p. 44 Crane Mon The mon from before they broke from the Crane, a crane with a Chrysanthemum, was considered very bad luck among both the Yasuki and Daidoji. It could still be occasionally found on ancient items from before the event, but many of those items had been destroyed over the years by the Yasuki and Daidoji alike. The Yasuki believed that if at any time an item with the old mon on was brought within the walls of the Black Crane Palace it would bring on a year of bad trade and ill fortune. Training Until their gempukku, Yasuki were taught finance, diplomacy, and culture. After their gempukku, they were selected by a sensei who would train them in mercantile arts and smuggling. Way of the Crab, p. 45 They served as journeymen to their master for up to five years, at which point they were given a small stipend and told to use their new skills for the benefit of the family. Clan War: Crab Army Expansion, p. 10 Schools of the Yasuki The following is a list of schools of the Yasuki family: * Yasuki Courtier * Yasuki House Guard * Yasuki Merchant * Yasuki Peacekeeper * Yasuki Taskmaster Lands Yasuki lands spread from the southeast to the most northern point in Crab territory. They were mostly arable land and breathtaking shorelines, easily the most beautiful Crab land. Secrets of the Crab, p. 80 Provinces In the Yasuki Provinces tea, flowers, and sake rice were grown to process and export. The Atlas of Rokugan, p. 29 The following were known provinces under the control of the Yasuki family; Secrets of the Crab, p. 96 * Junkin province (Y2) * Sunda Mizu province (Y1) Holdings The following were the estates and property of the Yasuki family: * Face of the East Castle * Friendly Traveler Village * Yasuki Hanko * Yasuki Yashiki Category:Crab Clan Families Category:Crane Clan Families Yasuki * Yasuki * Daimyo Yasuki Category:Articles with Pictures